Washington (CNN) -- Friday's government report showing a rise in unemployment shines a light on a new hurdle facing young people in need of work: The military isn't the reliable source of employment that it used to be. The Army and Marine Corps are getting smaller, and now there's a nearly year-long waiting list just to get into boot camp, no matter which branch you want to join. The shrinking Army and Marine Corps are part of a long-planned reduction in the size of the armed forces. But the backlog for enlistees is a new issue. Incoming recruits will spend quite a bit of time before they see a Pentagon paycheck.

That, in some ways, is a good thing for the
Pentagon, because it allows the services to choose the best possible candidates to defend our country.